To immunize GOP voters from the lethal complacency bug the party must run strong conservative candidates, not just rubber-stamps who will march to Mitch McConnell’s drumbeat and fail to fight for Trump’s agenda. We need boat-rockers seeking to annihilate the status quo.

The jury’s still out on the validity of trade protectionism. History seems to support many sides of the argument, but they can’t all be right. Perhaps President Trump is correct in saying it’s time for a change; either way it appears the swampy status quo is on its way out.

Conservative Republican and U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun may be the first GOP senate candidate to embrace President Trump’s trade policies as a campaign issue in a Republican Primary by attacking his opponents in a new ad titled "Made in America."

Truth is, there are lots of things in Washington today causing Americans to do a double-take. President Trump is clearly interested in furthering the conversation on guns and willing to accept whatever Congress comes up with as long as it’s reasonable. For the rest? Wait and see.

"We've lost our way as a people and the party, the party of Taft ... the Party of Reagan... has lost its way as well," our friend state Senator Chris McDaniel said in his announcement remarks. "The Tafts and Goldwaters are the heart of the GOP, not the McCains and Lindsey Grahams."

The media will never cease complaining about the way Trump handles communications – or anything else the outsider non-politician who now occupies the Oval Office does. Critics are a dime a dozen in the swamp; what really counts is what’s getting done right before our eyes.

With his early declaration of intention to run again in 2020 President Trump demonstrated he’s all-in on his agenda and committed to making America great again. In doing so Trump proved he’s a man of action and resolve. It’s time we got to work to ensure he gets his second term.

One way or another both parties have a lot to contemplate ahead of this year’s midterms. The Republicans have their retirements and #NeverTrumpers, but the Democrats are battling over something much larger and potentially more destructive -- a fight over the soul of the party.

The old saying “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out” is little comfort when you have no clue whether friends are even prepared to assist when the time is ripe. It’s a lesson 17 unfortunate souls in Florida will no longer have the opportunity to appreciate.

The media will always frame complex issues in the most biased way feasible. It’s easy to drum up sympathy for liberal causes by showing students chanting and holding signs in front of the White House; it’s much more difficult to face the realities of liberal governance head-on.

It’s only natural for American political observers to always consider the next election as the most important one of a generation – and this year’s midterms are no different. A lot can happen before November arrives; for now it’s probably best just to sit back and watch the show.

President Trump needs fighters on issues like gun rights. Wednesday’s CNN town hall showed the opposition is intense and he’ll require reinforcements in Congress with the backbone to look people in the eye and hold firm on principles – otherwise the battle is lost already.

Today’s youth has a lot to learn when it comes to real world survival and the fight to preserve precious constitutional rights. There will always be plenty of people telling them what to say – we can only hope they’ll grow brains to make original thoughts of their own.

Where are the conservatives in Congress? Certainly the GOP’s promises to forge a more conservative direction in government haven’t been realized in a lot of ways; the only answer is to make sure good people go to Washington and then hold them accountable once they get there.

If the recently concluded senate immigration deliberations revealed anything, it showed Democrats aren’t serious about solving real problems. They’re only in it for the political chits they believe are up for grabs. With such a bankrupt outlook they shouldn’t be dispensing advice.

Much as we’d like to hope otherwise the establishment has not been vanquished by the recent successes of conservatives and the Trump administration. The fact they’re now trying to bring Bob Corker back from retirement indicates the swamp creatures are still very much alive.

The media will continue to chase whatever disreputable nonsense they believe will draw focus away from the “man behind the curtain.” But Americans aren’t fooled; Trump’s improving poll numbers prove the message is getting through – and that’s a good thing.

President Trump’s infrastructure and various other budget proposals will be run through the political meat grinder and by the time they’re through they’ll likely be unrecognizable – if anything is done at all. The best Americans can hope for is a complete cleanse of Democrats this year.

Everyone knows Republicans have issues. Recent events proved the party has completely abandoned fiscal restraint and there’s an internal struggle for the direction of the GOP with Trump right in the center of it. Compared to the Democrats, however, Republicans look sane.

Senator Rand Paul is a rare breed in Washington today, a politician who’s more concerned with the long game than he is about short-term expediency. America survived another government shutdown last week, but will it be so fortunate in the years to come? Time will tell.